Flying far too high
by xLoveMitchiex
Summary: Rachel s life changes abruptly when she wakes up in a hospital after an accident with Quinn. With both girls in a wheel chair and without knowing what happened Rachel struggles with her new situation while Quinn finds herself haunted by guilt and feelings she has been trying to suppress.
1. Chapter 1

_"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn."_

~ Unknown

* * *

Rachel wakes up to a steady beeping and carefully tries to open her eyes, but even the single movement of her eyelids seems to be too hard for her to manage.

_Where am I? What happened?_ She wants to ask, but there seems to be no sound coming from her mouth.

"She's moving. Oh God she,s moving!" A voice mixes into the beeping, and Rachel concentrates really hard to identify it, but she can´t quite make it out due to the fact that it sounds like a thick wall is blocking most of it out.

"Rachel Darling, open your eyes, please!" The voice continues and Rachel tries to move her arms, but fails due to a sudden jolt of pain that shoots up her right arm.

Rachel hisses, and for a moment her mind threatens to slip back into the darkness she had just surfaced from. And though it seems easy, something inside her tells Rachel to fight it, to fight the urge to settle back into the comfortable, pain free silence.

"A nurse, a doctor, someone please!" Rachel hears another voice, much clearer now, and she puts all strength she can manage into opening her eyes.

She squints through her eyelashes and is greeted by the sight of a blurry, white painted wall. Before she can even orientate herself, a face comes into her focus. Rachel recognizes the features, and she squints once more to chase away the blur.

"Leroy, get a doctor! And where did Finn go? Oh Rachel, my baby!"

_Dad_. Rachel mouths as she recognizes her father and she wants to move, but she can´t.

"Shhh it´s fine." She hears her father say, even though Rachel notices that he´s crying.

Suddenly the door flies open and Rachel can see several people enter the room, people she doesn't recognize, before her eyes drift close and she slips back into the comfortable, silent darkness.

* * *

Rachel wakes up several hours later. It's easier to open her eyes this time, the opposite wall isn´t as blurry and as bright as before, it´s actually quite dark.

_It must be night._ She thinks and manages turn her head a little, just to find her two Dads asleep in their chairs on the right side of her bed. She turns her head back and to the other side, her gaze falling on a sleeping figure in the bed next to hers.

"Finn." She manages and jumps a little at the sound of her own voice. It sounds like somebody else's. Even though the sound has been barely audible, Finn begins to stir.  
"Rachel?" he asks and blinks, as if he can´t believe that she had spoken to him.

Rachel nods, still not trusting her own voice.

"Oh thank God!" Finn stumbles out of bed and almost trips, but somehow manages to stay upright.

"We were all so worried!" he fiddles with his hands for a moment, not quite sure where to put them. He settles for Rachel´s arm and she flinches in advance, expecting the same jolt of pain she has felt earlier, but nothing happens.

"Why…why am I here? What happened?" Rachel whispers, still trying to get used to the sound of her own voice.

"We…we don´t know." Finn says, looking over at Rachel´s Dads. "We were supposed to get married after Regionals, but then you and Quinn got into a car accident."

Rachel stares up at Finn and within seconds her chest feels too tight to breathe.

_Quinn. What happened to Quinn?_

The other girl´s face appears in front of her eyes and suddenly a loud, crashing noise rings in Rachel´s ears and she grabs Finn´s hand, clawing her fingernails into his skin.

"Rachel, hey, it´s ok!" he tries to calm her down and then her Dad´s are awake too, fussing over her and calling for a doctor. Rachel feels like everything´s a blur again, people are calling her name, but it seems like she's forgotten how to respond.

"Rachel Darling, stay with us, please!" she hears her Dad´s voice from far away, but she´s already drifting back into the darkness.

* * *

The next time Rachel wakes up it´s day again, though she has no idea which day exactly.

She´s not feeling any kind of pain anywhere in her body right now and so Rachel looks around. The room is empty and she momentarily wonders where everyone has gone, until she hears a knock on the door.

"Come in." she´s surprised at how strong her voice sounds and thinks back to the first time she had woken up without being able to move or even whisper so much as a word.

Rachel then hears someone fiddle with the door knob and she turns her attention back to the door, which opens a little while later.

"Quinn." Rachel breathes out as she recognizes the girl with the blonde hair and her heart skips a beat.

_I´m so happy you´re ok._ She wants to say, but then her eyes drift lower and she notices that something isn´t right. Quinn is not standing up.

"You´re…you´re in a wheel chair." Rachel whispers, her voice suddenly sounding weak again.

"I´m ok." Quinn says, a smile curling up at the corner of her lips. "I´m just glad you´re ok. How are you handling it? At first they wouldn't let me leave the bed and then they wouldn't let me in, only close family and your boyfriend." Quinn stops talking when she notices Rachel´s confused look.

"Oh, they didn´t…" Quinn fiddles with her hands, finally resting them in her lap.

"I just…I just woke up." Rachel says, sounding as confused as she looks. She wants to ask Quinn what´s going on, but suddenly the door swings open and her Dad´s enter the room, Finn following them just after.

"Oh, Quinn you´re…" Leroy starts until a squeal of his husband draws his attention somewhere else.

"Rachel!" they both say in union and rush over to her bed, taking one of her hands into theirs. "We´re so glad you´re awake!" They both have tears in their eyes and so does Finn, who is standing at the end of her bed, looking down at her fondly.

But right now Rachel doesn´t really care about any of those things, her eyes are fixed on Quinn, who suddenly looks very uncomfortable.

"Dad." She says, her voice sounding a little broken.

"Yes Darling?"

"What´s wrong with me?" she feels her own voice quiver and looks up at her Dads, who suddenly seem to go stiff.

"I don´t know what you´re talking about." Leroy says but his eyes dart away for a second and Rachel follows his gaze. What she sees makes her stomach drop to her knees. There´s an empty wheel chair standing in the corner of her room.

Rachel panics and instantly tries to move her legs, but nothing happens.

"No. No. No." she utters and tries again, only to fail a second time. She frees her hands from her Dad´s, who can only stare at their daughter, the emotional pain they're feeling clearly visible on their faces.

"Out." Rachel hears herself say as her vision goes blurry from the tears forming in her eyes.

"But Darling," Hiram starts.

"No. Out." Rachel cuts him off and flinches away when he tries to touch her.

"I don´t think it would be good to leave you alone." Finn joins in, but he seems unsure of what to do.

"Quinn…Quinn can stay." Rachel presses out without even thinking about what she´s saying. She just wants to be alone, but if that isn´t possible she has to be with someone that at least understands what she is going through.

Everyone´s staring at Rachel, but nobody is moving and Rachel just wants to cry and yell at them, but she knows that she can´t. She can feel the lump that had formed in her throat and she wishes more than anything that she´s just dreaming.

"You guys should leave, just for a little while." She then hears Quinn´s voice and holds her breath just for a moment. "We´ll be ok."

Rachel blinks, trying to see through her tears and feels a hand stroking lightly over her head.

"We´ll be right outside," her father says and then everyone, except for Quinn, is gone.

Rachel looks over at the other girl and opens her mouth to say Thank you but all that comes out is a broken sob. And then the tears start falling and Rachel wants to curl up on herself but she can´t move her legs and maybe she never will be able to do that again.

The realization hits her even harder and she starts sobbing uncontrollably, until she feels a hand on her arm.

"Breathe."

Rachel can hear Quinn´s voice and she grabs the other girl´s hand, clutching it so tight it must hurt, but Quinn doesnt complain. She just covers Rachel´s hand with her own, her thumb stroking lightly over it.

It calms her down, but not enough to stop the sobbing, even though Rachel keeps telling herself that she needs to, because she is sure that she´s making a fool out of herself.

She tries to take a deep breath and suddenly hears Quinn´s voice, very quiet, as if it is just for her to hear.

_I know it's me that's got to change the moment_  
_ Life goes on, I guess I think I've always known it_

Quinn´s voice is soft and Rachel concentrates on it without even wanting to.

_Might not be tonight, tomorrow or the next day_  
_ But everything is gonna be OK_

Rachel feels her breath even out and her grip on Quinn´s hand softens.

_It´s gonna be OK_  
_ It´s gonna be OK_

After Quinn has finished, Rachel takes another deep breath and opens her eyes, just to find the other girl smiling at her fondly.

"We´re gonna be ok," She whispers before taking Rachel´s hand in hers and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "We´re going to be ok."

* * *

So much for the first chapter, the next one is going to be longer, but meanwhile just leave me a review and tell me what you think! =)

3


	2. Chapter 2

Here´s chapter 2, sorry it took me more than a week to upload but thank you to my amazing beta for finding time to look over the chapters for me!

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! =)

* * *

Rachel has calmed down enough to let everyone back into the room, but she´s not letting go of Quinn´s hand. She feels like she let it go, she'd slip away, and Rachel doesn´t want that to happen. She wants to be strong. She wants to fight, and with Quinn by her side, holding her hand, that somehow seems possible.  
"Rachel Darling," her father says softly as he walks up to the side of the bed that is not occupied by Quinn, "I'm sorry that you learned about it this way, but we were so worried you wouldn't even wake up, and then things happened too quickly. But the doctors say that your paralysis might only be temporary. I´m sure that with a lot of physical therapy you will be able to walk again soon."  
Rachel clutches Quinn´s hands tightly, and looks up at her Dad.  
"Are you sure?" she asks, her voice sounding hoarse and still not quite like her own.  
"The doctors told me the same," Quinn says before Rachel´s Dad can answer, "They said that we got lucky, I guess they´re right."  
Rachel´s eyes dart over to Quinn, who is smiling reassuringly at her. For a moment Rachel feels lost in those hazel eyes and smiles back, her grip on Quinn´s hand softening.  
"Yes, I´m sure the doctor will be here shortly to explain everything to you," Leroy says while resting a hand on his partner's shoulder.  
Rachel nods, and takes a second to remember what has actually happened, but somehow she can´t. Everything´s a blur, she remembers that Finn and her were going to get married after Regionals and she also remembers putting on her wedding dress, so why had she been in a car with Quinn?  
"Rachel?" she hears a voice that snaps out of her trance. Finn is standing at the end of her bed again, looking a little worried.  
"Maybe we should give them a moment," Quinn says suddenly. Then her hand is gone, and Rachel has to fight the urge to grab it again.  
"Yes, we should go find a doctor anyway," Leroy says before bending down to place a kiss on Rachel´s head. "We will be right back."  
They are both leaving the room and Quinn follows after, but not without looking back at Rachel and giving her a small smile.  
Finn moves around the bed, grabs a chair, and sits down beside Rachel. He smiles at her, but the girl´s eyes are still fixed on Quinn, until the door falls shut.  
"I was so worried," Finn says quietly, and Rachel forces herself to turn her attention back to him. She is still struggling with setting her mind straight about what happened, and it feels like she´s not completely there yet.  
"At first I thought that you had left me, like that movie we watched, you know? That one with Julia Roberts,"  
"The Runaway bride?" Rachel offers, and Finn's eyes light up.  
"Yes, that one. And well, I got really mad because I didn´t understand why you would leave me. Then we got the call from the hospital that said you and Quinn had been in an accident on the Highway."  
There´s a short pause and Finn fiddles with his hands, before reaching out and placing them on Rachel's. "Do you remember what you were doing there?" he asks, and suddenly the words are hanging heavily in the air between them.  
Rachel tries to remember, she really tries, because it just doesn´t make any sense. Why would she be in a car on the highway with Quinn, when she was supposed to be getting married at the time?  
"I honestly don´t remember," She says. After a little while, her eyes meet with Finn´s. She can see they´re full of sorrow, and she suddenly feels a little guilty. He must have been so worried, everyone must have been. Thinking about it now, Rachel has no idea what day, or maybe even what month it is.  
"How long was I gone?" she asks and feels Finn´s grip on her hand.  
"Too long." He paused and looked up at Rachel, tears in his eyes. Rachel feels her chest tighten at the thought of having spent months in a coma.  
"It was only 6 days, but it felt like an eternity," Finn reveals and Rachel wants to slap him, but then she remembers that it´s Finn. Finn never really thinks about what he´s going to say before he says it.  
"I was so worried about you, I couldn´t bear to lose you Rachel. I love you." Finn´s squeezing her hand and Rachel opens her mouth to respond, but is interrupted by a knock on the door, which swings open just a second later.  
"Ah, good to have you back, Miss Berry," A doctor, followed by a nurse and her Dads, walks into the room, wearing a bright smile. "Now let´s go get you checked up!"

* * *

After they had done a few medical examinations and explained her injuries, Rachel is relieved that what her Dad´s had told her is true. The doctors are almost sure that with a lot of physical therapy, she will be able to walk again, even though it will probably take quite a while, but just knowing that her injuries are only temporary makes her feel a lot less edgy.  
"Thank you so much." Leroy says, shaking the doctor´s hand and he just smiles.  
"Of course. If there´s anything else I can do…"  
"Can Quinn stay in my room?" Rachel finds herself interrupting the two men without even wanting to.  
"Pardon?" the doctor asks, and turns towards Rachel.  
"Quinn, Quinn Fabray," Rachel says and feels herself blush unintentionally. "She was taken to hospital with me. She´s my friend. I was wondering if she could stay here with me? I would like to have some company."  
The doctor seems to consider it for a moment and then just nods. "Sure, if it helps you recover. Company is never wrong, especially since you will have to stay for a couple more days." He gives Rachel another smile. "I´ll have it arranged for you."  
Rachel gives him and smile and it feels a little weird, because she is still adjusting to being awake again, but she can´t help but feel excited about Quinn staying with her. They are sort of in this together now, and Quinn has said they were going to be ok. So this would be a great start for that, wouldn´t it?

* * *

"Ok, now that´s just unfair!" Quinn says giggling from her side of the room. "Why do you get fruit salad and two yogurts, and all I get is this sandwich with ham that looks like it´s been out of the fridge for far too long?"

Rachel smiles and shrugs her shoulders, "Come over and get it if you want," She says without thinking and then realizes, biting down on her lip.  
She´s about to say sorry when she sees Quinn move and lower herself into the wheelchair next to her bed. It looks so easy, and still Rachel dreads the first time she has to sit down in one. It feels like when she does, things will become too real, even though she knows that she´s not able to move her legs right now.  
Quinn wheels over and stops next to Rachel´s bed. "Scoot over." She smiles, and Rachel is taken a little aback.  
_Is she suggesting that…_  
Rachel must have been staring, because Quinn lets out a laugh and starts to pull herself up from her chair, and onto the bed. Rachel finally snaps out of her trance and scoots to the side of the bed to make room for Quinn.  
"That looks so much better," Quinn says, and grabs a yogurt while Rachel goes for the fruit salad.  
Their bodies are aligned, shoulders touching, and Quinn pulls the covers over them both before returning to her yogurt.  
Rachel can´t help but smile as she glances over at Quinn. Yes of course, they have been friends before, but for some reason she feels closer to Quinn now than she ever has. Maybe it´s based on the fact that they had been in the accident together. Don´t people always say that it brings people closer together whenever tragic things happen somewhere?  
"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Once again Quinn pulls Rachel out of her trance and the brunette nods.  
"Yeah sure, my Dad´s said they brought my lap top while I was being checked up." Rachel reached over into her bedside drawer.  
"What do you want to watch?" she asks while pulling the lap top out and is confronted with Quinn´s smiling face, who had reached down into the bag hanging on her wheelchair.  
"I brought Funny Girl." She says and holds up the DVD, making Rachel do a double take.  
"I love that movie!" she exclaims and practically beams at Quinn, who just keeps smiling, and takes the DVD and the lap top out of their cases.  
Rachel leans back while Quinn starts the movie and then gets comfortable next to the other girl. She glances over at Rachel and sees that she´s still smiling and it makes Quinn´s stomach flutter a little bit.  
_I know that it makes you happy, that´s why I brought it._ That´s what Quinn wants to say, but she doesn´t.

* * *

When the nurse comes into the room the next morning she finds both girls asleep, Rachel´s head resting on Quinn's shoulder with her arm draped across the other girl´s chest.  
She smiles and decides to let them sleep a little longer. Their checkups aren´t due until 11 and she can come back for breakfast after she has done the other patients.  
Quinn wakes to the noise of a door closing and blinks a few times before noticing Rachel next to her.  
_Oh right._ She thinks._ Funny Girl._  
Quinn smiles and tries not to move in order not to wake Rachel up. She looks so peaceful sleeping there, there are almost no visible injuries left to see on her body, except for a few bruises and a cut on her forehead.  
Momentarily Quinn wonders if Rachel really doesn´t remember what has happened, and her stomach clenches at the thought.  
The whole thing with the wedding had been a bad idea. It was never good to rush into anything, and that is definitely what Finn and Rachel have been doing lately.  
_I only tried… _but Quinn can´t finish her thought, because Rachel stirs and mumbles something unintelligible. Quinn's features soften immediately, and a smile spreads out across her face.  
"…morning." Rachel says, voice still sleepy. She blinks and finds Quinn smiling down on her, which sort of makes her stomach do a little flip.  
"Morning." Quinn responds and Rachel wants to close her eyes and snuggle back into Quinn´s side, but the sun is shining into the room, and she sort of wants to stare at that gorgeous smile a little longer.  
"Did you sleep well?" Quinn asks and, Rachel thinks how this is a much nicer way to wake up than beeping and being yelled at.  
"Yeah," She finally says with a smile and gets herself up into a sitting position. Quinn follows Rachel, pulling the covers aside before lowering herself into her wheel chair.  
"Good to hear." She says with a smile before rolling off into the direction of the bathroom and trying to control her pounding heart.

* * *

After having breakfast and getting checked up, the whole Glee Club comes to visit the girls.  
"You scared the crap out of us!" Puck says as he flops down into a chair between the two beds. "Seriously, I was shocked enough by the fact that you two," he gestures towards Finn and Rachel. "Were going to get married, but no you had to go and raise the bar."  
"Puck!" Kurt shushes him from his place at Rachel´s side. "Let´s just be happy they´re ok, yeah?"  
Puck shrugs his shoulders in response.  
"Praise," Mercedes says and Joe nods in approval before adding an, "Amen."  
"But seriously, what were you two doing on the highway? I mean, there was a wedding to attend," Sam asks and Santana glances at Quinn, who catches her look but tries to ignore it.  
"I don´t remember," Rachel says, looking a little sad. She really wishes she could explain, but she can´t remember, no matter how hard she tries.  
"Me neither," Quinn says, which earns her another look from Santana.  
"Well, maybe that memory loss is only temporary as well," Blaine offers, "I´ve read about it, it´s common that people lose a part of their memory when they hit their head in an accident. It often comes back after a little while."  
"It could have been worse, I mean at least they still remember who they and who we are," Sugar says and everyone turns to her.  
"Well I think being tied to a wheel chair is enough for now, isn´t it?" Artie answers and Sugar can´t really tell if he´s offended or not, so she decides to just nod and keep quiet.

* * *

They stay for a little while longer, and it´s just around dinner time before everyone has said their goodbyes. Quinn is in her wheel chair in front of their room, waving everyone goodbye, when Santana steps in front of her.  
"I know you remember," She says, her voice serious, "I can see it in your eyes. Why aren´t you telling her?"  
Quinn bites her lip and stares up at Santana. There´s no sense in denying it, Santana is her best friend, and she would know immediately if Quinn is lying to her.  
"It´s not that easy." Quinn says with a sigh, "I caused this accident."  
There´s a short silence until Santana shakes her head. "No you didn´t, that idiotic driver who didn´t know the meaning of speed limits, did."  
"Yeah but still, I dragged Rachel away from the wedding, and drove off with her." Quinn looks a little desperate and Santana bends down to look into her eyes.  
"And you were right," she says, a soft smile spreading out across her face, "This whole rushed wedding was a stupid idea. And I want to see you happy."  
Quinn looks away. "That´s not what this is about."  
"Hell yeah it is," Santana shoots back, "I know you´ve been wanting to tap that since sophomore year."  
"What, no!" Quinn is sure that she´s blushing, which is really not helping her argument.  
"Don´t even try Q," Santana says and makes a shushing gesture with her hands. "Don´t think I haven´t seen the way you look at her, it´s the way I look at…"  
"Don´t say it!" Quinn interrupts her, voice so loud that people on the other side of the corridor turn around to look at them.  
"Please." Quinn adds, a little quieter this time, "If you say it, it´s real, and then I´ll have to deal with it." She looks at Santana with a pleading expression on her face, and Santana feels a tug at her stomach.  
"I just want you to be happy, Quinn," She then says and grabs the other girls' hands that are resting in her lap.  
"I know," Quinn responds with a sad smile, "Me too, but confused feelings is the last thing she needs now and I don't want another broken heart." She squeezed Santana´s hands.  
"Just let me be her friend for now, ok?"  
There´s a little pause, and Santana looks like she wants to protest, but finally she just nods.  
"Whatever´s best for you Q," she says and gets back up on her feet. "I´ll see you at school."  
Quinn watches as her best friend walks down the corridor and intertwines her fingers with Brittany, who had been waiting for her. Quinn feels a sudden pain in her chest but tries to shake it off.  
_Now´s not the time for this,_ she tells herself. _Rachel needs me as a friend._

* * *

When Quinn gets back into the room she sees Rachel on the bed, legs hanging off the edge. She´s staring at her wheel chair that has been placed next to her bed and only looks up when she hears Quinn enter.  
"I…my Dad´s texted me that they were going to come visit and I thought it would be nice if we could meet them at the front and take a walk in the park or something. I´m tired of always just lying here. But then…," Rachel stops and looks back at the wheel chair, an expression of fear and insecurity on her face that makes Quinn´s stomach clench.  
She knows that blaming herself isn´t going to get her anywhere, but in some way she still feels responsible for the accident, which really isn´t helping the whole situation.  
"I think it´s a nice idea," She finally says after a deep breath, and rolls over to Rachel´s bed.  
"You just put your hands onto the arm rest, like this." Quinn grabs Rachel´s hands, probably a little tighter than necessary to cover up the fact that her own hands are shaking, and pulls them down onto the arm rests. "Then you just lift yourself from the bed and into the chair."  
Rachel still looks a little skeptical, but Quinn smiles up at her, and that makes her heart flutter in some way that Rachel hasn´t really experienced yet, and for some strange reason it gives her confidence.  
Quinn doesn´t let go, as Rachel lifts herself off the bed and into the chair. It´s still a little shaky and unbalanced, but Rachel manages to sit straight in the end, without having hurt herself in the process.  
She stops for a moment and feels her stomach clench a little. It´s weird, that feeling of sitting in a chair while knowing that without it, you aren´t able to move.  
"You´re ok?" she hears Quinn´s voice, and snaps out of her trance. Quinn is still holding Rachel´s hands and she tries really hard not to blush.  
_Now is not the time!_ She tells herself, but then Rachel smiles at her and squeezes her hands, and _Maybe just this once,_ Quinn thinks and allows the warm feeling to spread from her stomach across her whole body until the corners of her mouth pull up and she´s smiling back at the other girl.

* * *

They are out in the park and Rachel can´t help but laugh at the way Quinn is racing the little boy in the room across from their own. He has a broken leg and has asked them to sign his cast before taking off with Quinn while Rachel stays with her Dad´s.  
"You seem to be doing better," Leroy says, resting his hand carefully on his daughter's shoulder. Rachel turns her head, the smile still on her face.  
"I´m getting used to it, I think," she responds. "I understand that I can´t let this keep me from living and chasing my dreams. I will go to physical therapy and then I will be standing up in time for my NYADA audition."  
Leroy smiles at his daughter, and feels his husband grab his hand while Quinn yells for Rachel to come over.  
"I can´t beat him." She says as she stops in front of the other girl, her breath going heavy. "You have to help me out here."  
"But I don´t even know how to properly use this thing," Rachel points at her wheel chair, but Quinn just waves her off.  
"But you´re Rachel Berry, and you can do anything you want. Come here, I´ll show you."  
Rachel quickly looks up at her Dad´s, but they just smile and nod, and so the Brunette turns back to Quinn and follows her over to the little boy.  
"They´re…"  
"Don´t say it Leroy," Hiram interrupts his husband. "This is none of our business. Remember what happened the last time we got involved?"  
Leroy wants to protest, but then considers it for a moment.  
"You´re right." He finally says. "It just irks me that it seems like there´s nothing we can do."  
"They´ll have to figure things out by themselves, somehow."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait but I´m New York right and my friend (which is my beta btw) and I didn´t have internet in our apartment, we still haven´t really fixed it yet but I managed to post this for you guys. I hope you enjoy it and leave me a review! =)

* * *

They stay at the hospital for a few more days, and the whole Glee Club comes to visit, so the time passes faster than they would have expected.

It´s Monday, 3 weeks after the accident, when Quinn and Rachel make their way back to McKinley High. They´re both a little unsure of how everything is going to work out, now that they have to learn how to maneuver around in a wheel chair at school, but they're trying their best to stay positive.

Rachel´s Dad's have agreed to pick up Quinn in the morning to drive both girls to school, because Quinn´s mother has to work early, and seeing Quinn´s smile first thing in the morning sort of brightens up Rachel´s day. She wouldn't admit it though, because she thinks that it sounds a little stupid.

"We´ll have to talk to Figgins later," Rachel says as they roll up the ramp and into the school corridors. "We need to get our new lockers."

"I´m keeping mine," Quinn states.

"But you won´t be able to properly reach it," Rachel replies, a little troubled by all the looks they are getting from the other students. There are few people that are actually smiling at them, as if they are glad they´re back, but most people just stare at them with a sad and pitiful look in their eyes. Rachel hates it, because she doesn't want to be pitied. There is no use in dwelling on something that would only hold her back. She and Quinn are going to physical therapy regularly, and they will be able to walk again in no time.

"I can´t let that stop me. It has been my locker for all of my time here at McKinley and I don´t want to change it." Quinn continues and Rachel stops for a second.

_Quinn is right._ She thinks. _Giving up my locker would be like a defeat, and I can´t accept that. _Rachel Berry has never given up without a fight!

"Are you coming?" Quinn asks over her shoulder and Rachel snaps out of her trance.  
"Coming."

When they enter the choir room all the other Glee kids are already waiting. They break out into cheers, and the girls can´t help but smile, when they notice the _Welcome back Rachel&Quinn_ banner that has been hung up at the wall.

"We´ve missed you!" Santana says, a little smile on her face, "And now, hit it!" she points over to the band people who are instantly starting to play a melody that sounds familiar to Rachel and Quinn.

Santana gets up from her seat and walks up to stand in front of the girls, still smiling at them.

_Teenage dreams in a teenage circus  
Running around like a clown on purpose  
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?  
No giving up when you're young and you want some_

The whole Glee Club starts clapping to the beat while Santana starts off the song, dancing around the two girls in their wheel chairs.

_Running around again  
Running from running_

It isn´t long before everyone is off their seats and singing along with Santana. Rachel can feel the tears rise up in her eyes and looks over to Quinn, who seems to be equally affected. She thinks back to the time when she had been a nobody at this school, when she didn´t have any real friends and didn´t care about anything else but her career. Of course getting into NYADA and going to New York is still on top of her priority list, but she knows that she wouldn´t be anywhere near where she is now without her friends.

_We are not what you think we are  
We are golden, we are golden._

Quinn smiles at Rachel, and suddenly feels a small twinge in her heart, because all she wants to do is to get up, pull Rachel out of that damn chair, and dance with her. She can feel the music vibrating through her whole body, like it's telling her that dancing is the only logical thing to do now. For a short moment, horror scenarios of them not being able to walk again for the rest of their lives play out in her head, and Quinn instantly blames herself for the accident again.

_We are not what you think we are  
We are golden, we are golden.  
_

Rachel notices the change in Quinn´s expression.

_What´s wrong with her?_She thinks, and reaches out for the other girl. She´s about to ask her, when suddenly Kurt´s voice rises up above all the others.

_Waking up  
In the midday sun  
What's to live for?  
You could see what I've done  
Staring at emotion  
In the light of day  
I was running  
From the things that you'd say_

Rachel turns her head, and then her wheel chair is being grabbed by Kurt, who spins her around, and Rachel can´t help but laugh. She barely has time to focus on Quinn anymore, but that doesn´t seem to be a problem because the other girl is being spun around by Puck at the same time.

_We are not what you think we are  
We are not what you think we are  
We are not what you think we are  
We are golden, we are golden_

The guys are pushing them across the room, and spinning them while everyone is running around like crazy, dancing with each other, and joining Kurt again for the chorus.

Quinn is holding on to her armrests, and can´t help but laugh at the ridiculous faces Mike is pulling in front of her.

Meanwhile, Rachel can´t help but sing along. It feels a little weird at first, because she hasn´t sung in a while, but when her eyes fall on Quinn, who´s on the other side of the room singing with Brittany and Santana, the warm feeling that is bubbling inside her stomach just gets more intense, and there´s nothing else she can do but sing.

_Teenage dreams in a teenage circus  
Running around like a clown on purpose_

All eyes turn to Rachel, who rolls over to the center of the room, a smile on her face.

_Who gives a damn about the family you come from  
No giving up when you're young and you want some  
_

For a split second, Rachel forgets that she´s actually in a wheel chair. Everything just feels so right, being here with her friends, just singing silly songs and having fun.

_We are not what you think we are  
We are golden, we are golden._

Everyone joins in for the last verse, and then the whole crowd erupts into cheer when the last tunes of the song fade away. Quinn rolls up next to her, and then everyone´s coming together to give the two girls a hug.

Even though Rachel can be really annoying sometimes, they have still missed her a lot. It_´s too quiet here. _Puck had said a few days after the accident, and he has been right. Without those two girls, something is missing in Glee Club, and everyone´s glad that they are back now.

Suddenly Rachel feels someone take her hand and she turns her head, just to find Finn kneeling beside her. Her hearts misses a beat, because it´s not what she has expected, but then she smiles.

"I´ve missed you." She says truthfully and Finn smiles back. it´s not long before Rachel´s eyes drift off to find Quinn in the back of the room, talking to Artie, so she´s caught off guard when Finn leans in and presses his lips to hers. It feels weird for a moment, because they have only given each other little pecks on the lips the last few days, when he has visited at the hospital, but then Rachel smiles into the kiss and returns it.

Meanwhile Santana sits back down on a chair, and looks across the room. Her eyes fall on Finn and Rachel and she has to restrain herself from actually saying the _eww,_ that she´s thinking, out loud.

Not wanting to look at this scenario longer than necessary, she lets her eyes wander over to Quinn, who´s also looking at the reunited couple.

Santana feels a tug at her stomach when she sees the hurt in Quinn´s eyes. She has been through so much the past three years, and the last thing Santana wants for her best friend is to be unhappy.

_There must be something I can do._ She thinks_. Or something I can get her to do. Finn is clearly not good for Rachel. Without this whole wedding mess, things would have never gotten so complicated._

She must have been staring too long, because now Quinn looks over and it´s almost scary how she seems to be able to read Santana´s mind, because the Blonde just shakes her head.

Please_, just this once Santana, don´t ruin this for me. _her eyes seem to say, and Santana lets out a disgruntled noise, which earns her a weird look from Kurt, who sits down next to her.

_This is not going to end well._ Santana thinks before tearing her eyes away from Quinn´s gaze. _I can feel it._

* * *

"I´ve sort of missed school," Rachel says when they sit in class, and Quinn turns her head, "mostly Glee Club though."

The last few weeks still seem a bit unreal to Rachel. Sometimes, she wakes up in the morning thinking that it´s just a dream, and that everything that has happened isn´t real. When she tries to move, and her eyes fall on the wheel chair next to her bed, she´s painfully reminded that it is real.

Most of the time she´s able to get through the morning without bursting into tears, because she keeps reminding herself that pitying herself isn´t going to get her anywhere.

But then there are days when she just wants to curl up in bed, and wishes she could disappear back into the comfortable, dark silence of the coma. It´s those days when her Dads come into her room, and carry her out of bed. Rachel doesn´t really know what´s happening until she´s got a phone pressed to her ear and Quinn´s voice whispering to her.

Most of the time she doesn´t even know what the other girl´s saying. Just hearing her voice is comforting enough for Rachel to calm down and breathe again.

Rachel loves spending time with Quinn, they have been friends for a while, but after the accident they seemed to have just clicked.

She still loves hanging out with Kurt and Mercedes, or going on dates with Finn, but sometimes she gets annoyed because she has to look up all the time and it starts hurting her neck. It hasn´t been this bad since back in their sophomore year, when they had to sit in a wheel chair to support Artie.

_But that wasn´t real_, Rachel thinks. _This is real. _

But she isn´t going to let this stop her from living her dream. Physical therapy is going well and she has Quinn. Quinn understands her, and she´s willing to fight just as hard for Rachel to be able to walk again and win them Nationals.

For a moment, Rachel stops and wonders if they will still give her a solo for Nationals. She might be able to walk again, but what if they go for the safe route?

Her stomach clenches at the thought and she knows that it´s stupid, and that she shouldn´t be so crazy about getting solos, but this is going to be their last chance to win the National title together as a Glee Club, and she really wants to be up front, leading them.

"You need to stop thinking so much," Quinn says, a smile on her lips as she gently rests her hand on Rachel´s arm. Rachel looks up and blinks a few times at the other girl.

"Come on, we´re going to be late for our next class."

* * *

During their lunch break Quinn´s at her locker to get her books for history class, when she suddenly finds Santana leaning against the locker next to hers.

Quinn rolls her eyes and sighs, "What do you want Santana?" she asks and reaches for the book, but doesn´t quite reach it.  
"I´m just trying to help you, it´s painful to watch," Santana replies and grabs the book to hand it to Quinn. Quinn stares up at her, and then takes to book, putting it in her bag.

"Thank you," She says politely, "But I don´t need any help. I could have reached the book by myself."  
"That´s not what I am talking about, and you know it," Santana replies, and Quinn bites her lip, trying to fight the tight feeling that is coiling up in her stomach.

"I told you I will get over it."

"No you won´t," Santana sighs, a little frustrated. "I see the way you look at her, and I can basically feel your pain when you see her with Finn and it hurts me too, ok? You´re my best friend, and yeah I haven´t always been really nice to Rachel but she´s a good girl, if she doesn´t talk too much, and if she makes you happy…"

"She does." Quinn says without thinking and then almost slaps her hand across her mouth.

_I need to stop being so stupid._ She tells herself a little angry, she has promised herself not to dwell on any feelings she might have.  
"It doesn´t matter ok, she´s with Finn. and I caused this accident so the least I can do is be her friend."

Santana wants to protest, but Quinn just shakes her head,"Please, I have enough crap to deal with right now and you´re not really helping."

Santana sighs, and throws her hands up in defeat, "Whatever you say Q," she says, and turns to walk away.  
"But don´t make me say I told you so."

Quinn just stares after her for a while, a feeling of hopelessness and anger coiling up in her stomach.  
_Why does she have to make everything more complicated than it already is? _She thinks. _Why can´t she just leave me to deal with my feelings?_

"Quinn?" she hears her name, and looks up when she feels a hand on her arm. How long has she been staring after Santana? Her eyes meet Rachel´s warm gaze, and her lips instantly curve into a smile. "What were you dreaming of?"

Quinn shakes her head. "Nothing." She replies, as nonchalantly as possible, and closes her locker.

"Didn´t look like it," Rachel continues, and rolls back a little to allow Quinn to get into position next to her.

"Nothing really, just a friend that keeps telling me about this person she likes, but doesn´t want to act on it, because she thinks she doesn´t deserve to be in a relationship with that person."

Quinn doesn´t know why she says it, and her eyes widen a little in shock. It´s the second time today she wants to slap her hand across her face, but she doesn´t. Instead she tightens her grip in the arm rests of her wheel chair.

"Well, tell that person that they should give it a try. They never know what they might miss out on," Rachel smiles, and Quinn feels the anger and hopelessness in her stomach turn into something different, something she has been trying to avoid.

_If you only knew,_ she wants to say, but keeps her mouth shut. There´s no use in letting Rachel know about any of her feelings. It would only cause more heartbreak and pain, and Quinn knows she wouldn´t be able to deal with it.

She feels awful enough during those nights when she can´t sleep, and she thinks about the accident. When that little voice, that she has usually pushed into the back of her mind, breaks free, and whispers to her how she´s glad that this accident has happened, because it was her only chance to stop Rachel from marrying Finn.

Nobody hears her crying during those nights, because the house is just too big, too empty. And even if her mother could hear her, she wouldn´t know how to deal with it.

_She´s barely home anyway,_ Quinn thinks. She tries to shake off the feeling of utter discomfort.

"I have to go, I´m meeting with Finn before class, but I´ll see you later? My Dads are picking us up for physical therapy after school." Rachel smiles and Quinn´s grip on her armrests tightens a little.

_I have to be strong._ She keeps repeating as Rachel waves goodbye and rolls down to the corridor. _For me, and for her._  
And Quinn is still repeating and staring, long after the bell has rung.


End file.
